1 UNIVERSITY-WIDE ONLINE COURSE EVALUATION IMPLEMENTATION USING BLUE EVALUATION: OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND PLANNING (IRP) Becky Patterson, MS Director, Office of Institutional Research and Planning Robert (Bob) Goldstein, MPH Associate University Provost for Academic Accountability, IR and Effectiveness

A few reasons Blue Evaluation was selected… The acquisition of Blue Evaluation will result in a recurring annual savings of over $100,000 for the university. Additionally, units are able to leverage their existing investment and have access to Blue Survey (in coordination with IRP/IE). The functionality of Blue Evaluation will allow units to self manage the course evaluation administration and reporting process. Transitioning to the administration of course evaluations online supports the university’s sustainability (“Green”) initiatives. The pilot projects conducted in fall 2009 and spring 2010 were overwhelmingly successful. From fall 2010 forward, units will have the advanced reporting flexibility which includes the ability to create trend reports by faculty member or by course.

Getting the word out… September through November: marketing campaign to students (IRP staff working in collaboration with the Office of Communications and Marketing) Early fall 2010: presentation to Faculty Senate

Time line (2010) June through mid-July: meetings between IRP staff and academic unit contacts. Units will be given a checklist to help organize the process. Week of July 26 th : meetings with academic units and representatives from eXplorance August through December: administration of course evaluations online using Blue Evaluation

Staff Responsibility Bob Goldstein and Becky Patterson will work with academic deans, associate deans, and unit contacts to identify the appropriate delineation of responsibilities between unit staff and IRP staff in the creation, administration, and reporting for online course evaluations beginning in spring The goal is to transition the management of course evaluation administration to the units. IRP staff will be available for technical assistance.

Training On-site training will be available during fall 2010 for academic unit contacts. UofL has hired an eXplorance consultant to assist with the transition during fall IRP staff are available to answer any questions and assist with the administration in spring 2011 (and going forward).

PeopleSoft Synchronization Blue Evaluation will be synchronized with PeopleSoft. Course data (enrollment, faculty, beginning/end dates, etc.) will be extracted directly from PeopleSoft. It is essential that all data are entered into PeopleSoft by the units in a timely manner.

Data Quality Issues The following data quality issues should be considered by the academic units: Instructors are not listed as “TBA” once the course begins. Multiple instructors should be entered into PeopleSoft. Courses will low enrollments (e.g., independent studies) may need to be handled differently due to potential confidentiality issues.

Administration of the Evaluations Units can determine: –the dates evaluations are released –the length of time the evaluations are open –the dates the evaluations close –number (and timing) of automatic reminders to non-responders –verbiage of invitation, evaluation welcome message, reminders, and thank you message

Student Notifications Students will receive an through GroupWise notifying them the evaluations are ready to be completed. A link to the course evaluation portal will be posted on the Blackboard site for each course (available spring 2011). Student may log directly into the course evaluation portal ( using their ULink user name and password. Non-responders will be sent automatic reminders to complete the evaluations.

Faculty Notifications of Reports Faculty will receive an that indicates the reports are ready to be viewed. Faculty will log into the system using their ULINK username and password to view reports. Units can establish reporting hierarchy that grants permissions to administrators to review reports.

12 Questions? Contact… Robert (Bob) Goldstein: Becky Patterson: